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Annual Report (pdf) SMPERS (pdf) |
Authority The Wildland Residents Association was incorporated on 6 April 1982. The corporation is a nonprofit public benefit corporation and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for educational, charitable and public purposes. This corporation is organized exclusively for the charitable purposes with the meaning of §501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Board of Directors The WRA Board of Directors is the legislative body of the WRA. The WRA board consists of nine directors, four of which also serve as corporate officers as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The remaining directors also serve as local community representatives. The Board of Directors establishes all formal policy for the WRA and must approve all agreements, public policy and purchases. The Board also oversees the operation of the San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department. Public Information Officer The PIO is the authorized spokesperson for the WRA in all communications with other public agencies, the media, other organizations and the public. The PIO is responsible directly to the Board. Unless specifically authorized by the board, policy or an emergency, no member of the WRA shall communicate on behalf of the WRA with any outside agency, the media, or any public group without first clearing such communications through the PIO. On any major incident, the PIO shall assume the role of the WRA public spokesperson and may coordinate with the PIO's of outside agencies. The PIO shall be the only person to communicate with the media. Meetings The Board meets once a month. Any member may attend board meetings and are encouraged to do so. A full membership general meeting is held once a year. Special meetings may be called or requested. Custodian of Records The corporate secretary keeps all minutes of meetings and is the custodian of records for all Association activities. Most records are public and are available for review upon request. The secretary also coordinates the quarterly "Mountain Views" newsletter. Membership Any person, company, corporation or partnership may join the WRA. However, the association does not engage in political propaganda, attempt to influence legislation or otherwise engage in political activity. Fire Department Authority The San Marcos Pass Volunteer Fire Department is organized pursuant to §14829 of the California Health and Safety Code and under the approval of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. The WRA board of directors provides the administration and supervision of the department. San Marcos Pass VFD operates under the additional supervision of the California State Fire Marshal's Office and the California Office of Emergency Services. The department has a memo of understanding between the County of Santa Barbara as well as the United States Forest Service. San Marcos Pass VFD provides "self help" fire services to the mountain communities. This includes initial attack to various fires, brush burning assistance, training and education programs, fire prevention and community assistance as requested. San Marcos Pass VFD may provide additional emergency services as requested pursuant to the terms and conditions of the memo of understanding with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and/or the Forest Service. Mountain Drive VFD is an associate member of the WRA. They operate pursuant to their own board. Fire Chief Pursuant to state law, San Marcos Pass VFD designates a fire chief. The chief is the senior officer of the department. The functions and manner of appointment or election of the chief is controlled by the department. The WRA does have established standards for the selection of the chief. The chief of the associate departments does not directly represent the WRA except as authorized by the WRA Board. Practical operation of the departments is generally coordinated through the chiefs or other designated representative of the department. Assistant Fire Chief - Safety Officer The assistant fire chief carries out those functions as assigned by the fire chief and shall assume the responsibility of the fire chief in his/her absence. The assistant fire chief also serves as the department safety officer and is responsible for ensuring the safety and injury prevention of all department members. Training Officer The training officer is appointed by the fire chief and is responsible for training, standards and compliance of rules, regulation, state and federal laws as well as the standards and practices of fire departments. The training officer develops a training program and keeps the personnel training records of each member. The training officer is also required to maintain an active membership in the Tri-Counties Training Officers Association. Communications Officer The communications officer is appointed by the fire chief and is responsible for the radio communications system and protocols for communications. The Communications Officer also ensures that the department adheres to the Santa Barbara County Communications Policy and the FIRESCOPE protocols. Captains ENGB Captains may be designated by the individual departments from among the more experienced personnel. Captains are Engine Boss Red Card certified to NWCG 310-1 standards Captains may be assigned various functions, and will normally be assigned to command individual squads or pieces of equipment during an incident. Captains may also serve as squad leaders in an incident. The squad leader is responsible for communications with the IC, for coordinating the work of the squad, to carry out specific assignments. Squads will typically be organized to perform the following functions:
Firefighter 1 & 2 In addition to other mandated training and certification, a Firefighter 2 is a member who has passed the following NWCG classes and has a signed-off NWCG FFT-2 Task-Book:
Community Representative On major incidents, the WRA community representative for the area shall be appointed to serve as the WRA representative and liaison between the community, the fire chief and the responding outside agencies in conjunction with the WRA PIO. The community representative shall be responsible for the open communication of information to the community for such issues as evacuation, situational awareness and notifications. The representative may also serve as a field liaison with WRA departments and/or outside agencies. This may include serving as a guide for outside agencies, providing maps, information on the location of available hydrants and other water sources; location of residences; location and conditions of local roads’ relevant features such as fuel breaks, open spaces suitable for helicopter operations, fuel and terrain conditions, and disposition of WRA equipment and personnel. |
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